Noodles and Steamed Pork Buns

As Lin Su walked out of his second brother's study, the sun was setting.

Xiao Yao was sitting on a stone stool in front, propping her chin on her hand and gazing at the sunset.

Lin Su saw her pouting lips from a distance.

"What's wrong? Haven't you digested the meat you ate, and now you have new worries?"

"Madam... Madam gave all the meat away..."

What?

Xiao Yao, feeling quite wronged, explained the situation.

"She gave it all away?"

"Not entirely, there's just a little left, and it'll be gone by tomorrow..." The girl was on the verge of tears.

"It's fine!" Lin Su said. "This was just for emergencies. Were you planning to eat it for the rest of your life? Besides, what they made wasn't tasty at all. Let's go get something good to eat!"

Xiao Yao looked up, and her lips were once again glistening with familiar moisture.

Come on, girl, you ate a whole chicken and two lamb legs today. Your belly is still round...

Haining had a very rich nightlife.

How was it rich?

Courtesans danced amidst flowers, wealthy young masters were moody under the moon, vagrants begged in the streets, and restaurants bustled with people...

Several rice and flour shops were still open. At night, it was actually their busiest time. Most people worked during the day and had no time to go shopping. They could only come out at night to buy daily necessities.

Hmm, not bad. Lin Su really dislikes the curfew in feudal societies. If I had transmigrated to those special dynasties where there was a curfew every night, half of life's pleasures would be gone.

There was a pawnshop ahead. Lin Su headed straight for it, took out the golden pearl, and handed it over. "Shopkeeper, can this be pawned?"

The shopkeeper examined it carefully. The golden pearl was exquisitely crafted, and the gold purity was first-class. His eyes immediately lit up...

"Dead pawn or live pawn?"

A dead pawn was essentially selling it. The pawnshop could immediately sell it off.

A live pawn was for temporarily getting through hard times. The pawned item was just collateral, and the pawnshop couldn't dispose of it arbitrarily before the deadline.

"It doesn't matter. If the shopkeeper likes it, you can just buy it outright."

"How much does Young Master want?" The shopkeeper picked up the golden pearl, narrowed his eyes, and examined it again.

"How much will the shopkeeper give?"

"Three taels of silver!"

"Good!"

The shopkeeper was shocked.

Even more shocking was that after the young man took the silver, he directly tore up the pawn ticket. What did this mean? It meant this "dead pawn" was as dead as it could get; he couldn't even redeem it if he wanted to.

Did this golden pearl have a problem?

The shopkeeper seized the opportunity before the young man left completely and checked again. There were no problems. The purity was excellent, and the craftsmanship was exquisite. But that wasn't the most valuable part of the pearl. The hook on it was the most valuable. If he wasn't mistaken, it was an Extreme North Blue Crystal!

Extreme North Blue Crystal was extremely rare. Such a hook was worth at least a hundred taels of silver!

Who is this sucker?

Lin Su had already left the pawnshop and entered a rice and flour shop...

Soon, he returned home carrying two large bags, one of rice and one of flour. Xiao Yao was carrying a pot and holding a bundle. The pot contained oil, and the contents of the bundle were strange. Xiao Yao only recognized pepper powder and scallions; she didn't recognize anything else. Some of these items were bought from a general store, and others from a pharmacy...

The bundle of things had a strong smell, and Xiao Yao's eyes watered as she walked.

Lin Su, however, was very happy.

Two large bags, weighing at least 150 jin in total. He carried one in each hand, effortlessly. Having the Dual Roots of Literary and Martial Arts had greatly changed his physique.

Secondly? The purchasing power of silver in this place was quite strong. Three taels of silver bought this pile of goods, and he still had over a tael left!

As they neared home, Lin Su suddenly noticed someone outside their house, a suspicious-looking person.

My house is this run-down, and someone's got designs on it?

This is too much...

Just as Lin Su was about to shout, the dark figure knelt down, kowtowed three times towards the main entrance of the Lin Family, and then ran off.

They reached the doorstep and gently pushed open the courtyard gate, which creaked loudly.

This gate needs some oil. This creaking sound always reminds me of Lanruo Temple in 'A Chinese Ghost Story'.

Everyone knows the Lin family is in decline, there's no need for this kind of dramatic effect...

By the door sat a small bundle. Lin Su opened it and wore a strange expression. Inside were three dark Steamed Cornbread Buns.

Second Brother Lin Jialiang came out and his eyes widened when he saw the items by the door. "Third Brother, where... where did this come from?"

"This was given by that person. Oh, and he also kowtowed three times outside!" Lin Su handed the three Steamed Cornbread Buns to his second brother and pointed towards the bushes outside. The person hadn't run far and was still hiding in the bushes, naturally assuming no one saw him. But he didn't know that both Lin Su and Lin Jialiang were practitioners of the Literary Way, with sharp ears and keen eyes.

Lin Jialiang's gaze lifted, fixing on the direction Lin Su pointed. "It's Old He! Old He is such an honest person. Mother just gave him some meat, and he insisted on returning it... Hmm, where did these come from?"

Second Brother pointed at several large bags by Lin Su's feet, labeled "Shen's Rice and Flour Shop." Clearly, it was rice and flour, which couldn't have been from Old He.

"I bought it!"

"Where did you get the money?"

"Today at the restaurant, a Fox Demon sister gave me a Golden Pearl..." He explained the situation in detail.

Lin Jialiang's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at Lin Su. After a long pause, he gently shook his head. "Third Brother, you should have either refused the Golden Pearl – after all, humans and demons have different paths, and a gentleman should keep himself pure. No one could say anything then. Or, you should have kept it hidden. It was the thought that counts. But to accept it and then sell it... that's truly not the way of a gentleman."

"I wanted to keep it, but Xiao Yao is starving. We need some rice and flour..."

Xiao Yao looked up at Third Young Master with her big, round eyes. Her mind was filled with thoughts of how kind her brother was, completely devoid of any sense of "taking the blame for someone else."

The empty kitchen finally had a fire lit again. Xiao Yao, who was only slightly taller than the stove, jumped up to wash the pot. As she skillfully worked, Lin Su rolled up his sleeves to open the flour bag. Outside, Lin Jialiang's voice called out, "Third Brother, come out. A gentleman stays away from the kitchen. It's not a place for you."

"I'll teach Xiao Yao."

This time, Xiao Yao didn't want to be the familiar scapegoat. She objected, "Brother, I can do it. You don't need to teach me."

"What can you do?"

"Steamed Cornbread Buns!"

"The kind Old He made earlier?"

"Mm!"

"Then maybe forget it? ... I'll make something I like to eat myself."

Lin Jialiang craned his neck from outside, wanting to pull his third brother out of the kitchen and sternly lecture him on the ways of scholars and gentlemen. But he held back. Although theoretically, Second Brother should discipline Third Brother, Third Brother's performance today had been too extraordinary, leaving him with little confidence in front of him. Fine, he thought, a scholar entering the kitchen wasn't a major offense. Let him play around.

A faint, pleasant aroma drifted on the wind...

It came from the kitchen...

Just a whiff of it made Lin Jialiang's appetite surge...

Soon, Lin Su emerged with a large bowl filled with stringy strands, dotted with chopped scallions...

"What is this..." Lin Jialiang took the bowl and examined it.

"Noodles!"

"Noodles? Made from flour? Pulled into such shapes, one by one? What's the reasoning behind that?" Lin Jialiang was confused.

Pulled into shapes, one by one? Show me how... Wait, are there no noodles in this world?

A quick inquiry revealed there indeed weren't. Here, the only use for flour was to shape it into a ball and steam it into something like a bull's... oh, no, Steamed Cornbread Buns!

In the eyes of the world, flour was for sustenance, not for embroidery. No matter its shape, it would eventually be eaten and then become... well, that.

In the culinary world, they were all terminators.

Lin Su, a process-oriented person, felt utterly alone.

Forget it. Lin Su couldn't be bothered to search the Sage's classics for the "profound life philosophy behind noodles being shaped into strands." He directly pushed Second Brother towards the main hall. "Take this bowl of noodles to Mother!"

Filial piety was something Second Brother practiced daily. These noodles, smelling so fragrant, were naturally meant for Mother.

"I'll do it!" Someone walked over from the moonlight, it was Yu Lou.

"Let's go together!"

Madam Lin had intended to rest. She hadn't had a proper rest lately.

As for dinner, she had automatically disregarded it. In the past, as the esteemed wife of the Marquis's Estate, she certainly had three meals a day. But after falling from grace, her eating habits became irregular. If she was very hungry, she'd find something to eat; if she wasn't that hungry, why waste the grain?

She had eaten half a leg of lamb today. If she kept a diary, this would be a notable entry. Having eaten lamb, how could she possibly eat dinner?

She was indeed a bit hungry, but once she fell asleep, the hunger would vanish.

Suddenly, a knock came from outside. "Mother, Third Brother made some new food for you to try."

The door opened, and Madam Lin took the bowl from Yu Lou. She looked at the noodles with the same confusion as Lin Jialiang. But when she brought the bowl to her nose and smelled it, her stomach suddenly rumbled.

"It's quite novel. So white, and so fragrant..." She picked up a noodle and put it in her mouth, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

After eating half the bowl, she gave the rest to Xiao Tao. Xiao Tao took a bite and was no longer reserved. The frequency of her chopsticks clearly increased, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Not a drop of soup was left.

"I never imagined flour could be made into something so delicious. Did Third Young Master come up with this?"

"Third Brother personally cooked this for Mother."

"Cooked it himself? That scoundrel! A gentleman stays away from the kitchen. How could a great poet and esteemed scholar like him demean himself like this? And you, Second Brother, how could you not stop him? If this gets out, won't it ruin his reputation?"

After a torrent of scolding, Lin Jialiang's face flushed and paled. I did try to stop him, but I couldn't...

"Xiao Tao, go and tell Third Young Master that from now on, he is forbidden from entering the kitchen."

"Yes, Madam!"